Cary’s Tim Woodall is quite an influence in North Carolina bluegrass music. He has played bass five years for The Grass Cats after being their banjo player for more than 13 years. Woodall has also been a co-host of the Pinecone Bluegrass Show on Raleigh radio station WQDR for nearly 27 years. The Grass Cats have recorded nine CDs, five of which have landed in the Top 10 of Bluegrass Unlimited’s national charts. The rest of the band includes Russell Johnson, Chris Hill, Rick LaFleur, and Bailey Coe.
ONC: What first got you interested in music?
TW: My mother was very musical, played piano, and loved a variety of music … guess I got it from her. There were musical people on both sides of my family, so I was exposed to music from an early age.
Was there someone who motivated you to play an instrument?
I had cousins and there were other people in the neighborhood who played guitar, piano, upright bass, and sang. I suppose being around that on a regular basis motivated me to get involved with music.
Have you always leaned toward bluegrass as your genre of choice, or did you play in other bands?
Not always bluegrass, although I always have enjoyed bluegrass music. I started playing bluegrass in the early ’70s. I played in a rhythm and blues type band in high school. After high school, I played country, country rock and did recording session work, so I have in the past and still do listen to a wide variety of music.
You have mentioned listening to Earl Scruggs. Was he the reason you decided to play the banjo?
Yes, he was. I used to watch Flatt & Scruggs on Saturday afternoon on TV and was captivated by Earl Scruggs’ playing on both banjo and guitar. There are others like J.D. Crowe, Sonny Osborne, Bill Emerson, and some of the banjo players from the ’60s and ’70s I enjoy, but Earl Scruggs did it for me. I have met about all the major players in bluegrass music over the years, but I only have two autographs: Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe. I figured that about covered it.
Scruggs and Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, with whom he played, are legends of bluegrass. Are they No. 1 on your list of favorites?
I do enjoy the traditional bluegrass bands or first-generation bands like that, but I listen to all types from Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs to New Grass Revival, Seldom Scene, and some of the other “New Grass” bands. It would be very difficult to pick a favorite.
Who are your favorite artists outside of bluegrass?
I love about all of the Motown music from the 1960s and ’70s—the Temptations, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye … I enjoy classic country, classic rock, Southern gospel, R&B, and light jazz. I have a pretty eclectic taste in music.
Have any of those been inspirational for you?
Since I play bass now in the band, the Motown bass players like James Jamerson and Bob Babbitt were an influence. They were as good as it gets. Both played upright and electric bass equally well and recorded some of the most famous bass tracks ever.
Do the Grass Cats play music from other genres?
The Grass Cats do a lot of cover tunes that were songs from either rock groups, country groups or singers because we play such a wide variety of venues. We try to play something that all ages will recognize. Typically, our CDs contain about half original material and half cover tunes. We have recorded tunes first done by Bob Dylan, John Denver, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Alan Jackson, Johnny Rodriquez, The Who, Ace, and others. We enjoy trying to make those work with bluegrass instrumentation and arrangement.
Are there times you and the band get together and end up just kind of picking and singing pieces, and can you describe the joy of that?
Usually, when the band gets together, it is for a practice to work up new material, getting ready to record a new CD or getting ready for a big show, so there are certain songs we work on. As far as just playing for the fun of it, that usually happens when members from other bands jam with you at festivals or shows, and that is a lot of fun.
When you’re alone and play and sing, which instrument do you play?
Most of the time it is the electric bass because that is what I play with The Grass Cats. Plus, I can play along with all kinds of music on bass—R&B, country, rock. Occasionally I will get the banjo, electric or acoustic guitar or pedal steel out, but mostly the bass. That happens more when I am trying to learn a new song … play with a recording or go to YouTube and just look up songs I haven’t heard in a while or maybe even in years. That is fun for me.
You have been co-hosting the PineCone Bluegrass Show” on Raleigh radio station WQDR for more than 25 years. How did you that come about?
I developed an interest in radio when I was an early teenager. KIX was the station around Raleigh that played great music and had great DJs like Charlie Brown, Dale Van Horn, Tommy Walker, and Rick Dees, to name a few. I listened to that station all the time. There was another station, WYNA in Raleigh, and I used to go there on Sunday afternoons and watch those guys do their shows. I got my FCC license in 1967. The “Pinecone Bluegrass Show” came about when WQDR approached PineCone about maybe doing a bluegrass radio show. They would provide the air time and resources and PineCone would provide the DJs. Larry Nixon and I volunteered for that and have been doing it Sunday nights since Jan. 29,1989.
What is different about the feeling you get broadcasting compared to singing to a crowd?
There is a different feeling. On the radio, it feels like you are talking to one or maybe a few people since you can’t see them. Playing live, you do feed off the crowd. If they are responsive, you tend to react to it. If they are not responsive, it can be tough sometimes. But you still do your best regardless of crowd size.
After all of these years, how do you keep the show fresh for your listeners?
Every show is a little different. We play different songs every week and mix it up. Phone calls can keep it interesting. The show is only three hours per week, so it is not usually a problem. We only have three hours per week to play the best music—in our opinion—that we can. There are listeners who call every week for the same song request, but we can’t play the same 45 or 50 songs every week. That would get stale.
What do you love about music?
Music is one of the few things that can bring out all types of emotions … make you happy or sad, relaxes you and can change your mood. It is very therapeutic, and not a day goes by that I don’t listen to some type of music … most of the time several types.